Chapter 16
Not once had he risen from his seat or
spoken a word of concern.
Asteria found it hard to believe that someone like Primo, who had never shown
an ounce of care, would leave behind the chaos of his life and travel so far just to find her.
“Come back home with me,” he said.
His face remained unreadable, but the firmness in his voice was undeniable.
Asteria didn’t like the way he spoke. Her brow furrowed, and she responded with cool detachment, “This is my home.”
Her cold tone hit Primo like a physical blow.
At that moment, something inside him shifted. He thought of the tear–stained pages of her diary, the ache in his chest growing stronger.
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He understood, at last, what he had lost: Asteria, the girl who used to chatter. incessantly, who clung to him with the innocence of someone who had never known heartache.
Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of suffocation gripped Primo. The air seemed thick as if he could reach out and snatch it, as did the person standing before him.
“Asteria, stop this,” he implored, his voice tight. “I know you’ve read my diary, but none of that is true. It was just childish nonsense I wrote when I was younger.”
For the first time, Primo lowered his head in true remorse. “I’m sorry, Asteria. I‘ ve been so caught up in everything lately that I neglected your feelings. I promise it won’t happen again. You have to believe me. No matter what, I love you. I never meant to hurt you.”
The moment the words left his lips, Primo was struck by their weight.
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Before he came, he’d been furious, ready to make Asteria see the error of her ways, to teach her the rules of being Mrs. Chromos.
But the second he saw her, all that anger evaporated.
He couldn’t bring himself to say a single reproachful word to her.
Asteria‘ s smile was sharp, a mixture of indifference and sarcasm. It hit him harder than any scolding.
“Primo, you don’t need to put on this act of deep affection. I know you married met out of responsibility, not love. So, I’ve decided to leave to make things easier for you and Yesha.”
To Primo, the words sounded more like a childish tantrum than a serious plea.
He sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. “Asteria, don‘ t let your anger speak for
you.”
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“I know what you‘ re doing. You ran away from the wedding to punish me, to get my attention. You care; you love me too much. You’re blaming me for neglecting you, and so, you’re acting this way to make me notice.”
“It’s alright. I’ll forgive you. Just come back with me. You‘ ll still be Mrs.
Chromos. I’ll take care of everything for you. And as for Yesha… I’ll give her more attention.”
Asteria couldn’t help but feel a pang of disbelief. Hearing Primo speak so assuredly left her almost speechless.
She thought back to when she was younger, throwing fits, doing whatever she could to get Primo’s attention.
To make him care, she had cried, thrown. tantrums, and even run away from home.
But no matter what she did, Primo always remained distant, cold, and unshaken.
He never comforted her, never scolded her,
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never showed any sign of anger or affection.
He simply waited as if nothing had happened, expecting her to return and apologize.
After enduring this cycle time and time again, Asteria gradually learned to be sensible.
At that moment, she had learned enough to no longer need Primo.
From an observer‘ s point of view, she spoke with the calmness of someone who had finally seen through it all.
“If it’s true love, then nothing can stand in its way. What’s this minor obstacle between you two? I’m sure you‘ 11 overcome it, as you always do.”
“But, Primo, you’ve already gotten what you wanted. So why stand here and cry in front of me?”
